Polanco's hustle play in bottom of the ninth results in a 7-6 win over the Rockies.

PHILADELPHIA --- This could be the game that turns it all around for the Phillies.

There was a celebration on the field --- a rarity at Citizens Bank Park this year, and it had Placido Polanco laughing afterward --- a walk-off win and a break that went their way in the ninth inning.

After Hunter Pence's RBI double tied it in the bottom of the ninth, they used an intentional walk, an infield hit and an error to beat the Rockies 7-6 on Wednesday night.

"Just hustling at the end got us the win," manager Charlie Manuel said. "That's why you hustle."

The Phillies are now 2-9 when the game is tied after the eighth inning and 2-8 in walk-off decisions.

With two outs and the bases loaded for Polanco, the Phillies' sixth-hole hitter grounded a ball to shortstop Marco Scutaro, who threw to first. Todd Helton, known as one of the best defensive first basemen ever, came off the bag just a hair.

Polanco said his foot landed partially on Helton's (which blocked Helton from the base) and partially on the bag. A microsecond after Polanco ruled himself safe as he ran up the line, first base umpire Alfonso Marquez made it official and Pence came home and scored the game-winning run.

Polanco's teammates gave him the standard, celebratory beating afterward.

Surely, it hurt a little.

"Nah. They're weak," Polanco said with a big smile.

The bottom of the inning hardly had a promising start to it. Rafael Betancourt got red-hot pinch hitter Jim Thome and Jimmy Rollins to ground out.

That left things up to Ty Wigginton, who entered as a defensive replacement in the top of the eighth. Wigginton rolled a single to left field, which brought Pence to the plate. The three-hole hitter smoked a ball that drilled the 334 sign in left field and scored Wigginton and tied the game at 6.

That prompted Betancourt to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz. Shane Victorino keep things going when he legged out an infield single to load the bases for Polanco.

"When you bust your behind down the line, anything can happen," Victorino said. "That's what it's all about.

"It feels great. Something like this will kick-start something. It was one win, but the energy and the way we played the game with energy and playing to the last out, that's what showed."

The Phillies (33-37) guaranteed themselves their first home series win since May 11-13 when they took two of three from the Padres. They had lost their previous four home series against Boston, Washington, Miami and Los Angeles.

And they are inching their way closer to the .500 mark at home. They are now 14-19 at Citizens Bank Park.

"We definitely need some games like this," Manuel said. "This is the kind of game that raises your spirits. It's good because it came back at home, too. We need to start playing better. The last two nights our fans have been loud. They stay right there with us. We need to have a big homestand. We got a break at the end there and hopefully it carries over."

Things weren't so pretty in the top of the ninth, and it re-iterated why managers are hesitant to use closers in non-save situations.

With the game tied, Papelbon allowed a two-out run.

Although Papelbon is 17-for-17 in save opportunities this season, which ties him for the third-most in the National League, his numbers in non-save situations provide little comfort.

Papelbon now has a 6.10 ERA (7 ER, 10 1/3 IP) and opponents are hitting .317 (13-for-41) in non-save situations.

"I think that's just the way it is," Manuel said. "I don't think [the non-save situations] have anything to do with it."

It was all or nothing for Joe Blanton.

The Phillies starter gave up five runs from the second to the fourth innings, but settled down and retired the last 11 hitters he faced.

By then the damage had been done, all of which was caused by the long ball, which continue to be problematic for Blanton. In his last 49 1/3 innings pitched (eight starts), Blanton has allowed 16 home runs, including three on Wednesday. Prior to his start on May 19 against the Red Sox, who took him deep four times, Blanton had surrendered only one homer through his first six starts (41.0 IP). He entered Wednesday's game having allowed the fourth most home runs among NL starters and the most since May 14 (13).

DINGERS: Ruiz has been hit by a pitch 11 times this season, which leads all major leaguers and is a personal high. John Mayberry Jr., who doubled, walked and scored two runs, is hitting .375 with seven extra-base hits in his last six games. Chase Utley was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs in eight innings, his longest rehab outing yet, for Class-A Clearwater.